Chevron's "Fuel Your Schools" initiative back for third straight year

Chevron announced Tuesday in New Orleans that it will include South Louisiana in its third annual "Fuel Your School" initiative, expanding the program this year to 22 U.S. Communities.

Through collaboration with DonorsChoose.org, the initiatve will generate up to $500,000 for local public school teachers and students to acquire the necessary tools for students to learn, explore, and get excited about school. Chevron encourages STEM-related projects, to help prepare students for jobs of the future.

"We're proud to once again bring the Fuel You School program to public schools across Louisiana," said Chevron's Gulf of Mexico Business Unit Vice President Mike Illanne. "This initiative supplies classrooms with interactive tools that help get students excited about learning. It is part of Chevron's on-going commitment to science, technology, engineering, and math education in our area."

Last year, Chevron helped fund projects in 175 public schools in nine parishes in southern Louisiana. This year, Chevron will contribute $1 to help fund eligible classroom projects when consumers purchase 8 or more gallons of fuel from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 at participating Chevron and Texaco stations, up to a total contribution of $500,00 in East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Vermillion, Terrebonne, and Lafourche parishes.

In the U.S., Fuel Your School is an innovative collaboration between Chevron and DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. The program is committed to providing local public school students with the tools and resources needed to help them achieve academic success.

"During the Fuel Your School program, filling up at Chevron means filling local classrooms with the resources to help students and teachers succeed," said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. "Fuel Your School makes it easy for Chevron customers to see their real-time impact on classrooms in their community."

All year, public school teachers post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org, ranging from calculators, to microscopes, and even glowing bacteria. One of those requests came from Lettie Rillieux-Owens, a teacher at A.P. Tureaud Elementary School, who lacked the resources to expose students to engaging and effective scientific activities. With the help of the Fuel Your School program, she and her students received hands-on teaching tools, fostering a rich environment for inquiry learning.

"Students learn best by doing and not just reading about it in a book," said Lettie Rillieux-Owens. "STEM education is learning for the 21st century."

Since its inception in 2010, Fuel Your School has helped fund 17,163 classroom projects at 3,196 schools. The program has grown annually to support students throughout the communities in which Chevron operates, reaching 940,440 students last year. Chevron also supports similar marketer co-funded programs in Midland and Ector counties, Texas; Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino counties (North Coast), California; Ada and Canyon counties, Idaho; Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties (Northwest), Georgia; Jackson and Josephine counties, Oregon; and Yuma County, Arizona, as well as similar international programs in Burnaby, Surrey, White Rock, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Coquitlam, British Columbia; Johor and Kedah, Malaysia; and parts of Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Beginning Sept. 1, 2014, public school teachers in East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Vermillion, Terrebonne, and Lafourche parishes are invited to post eligible classroom project requests at www.DonorsChoose.org for possible funding as part of the Fuel Your School program.

By visiting www.FuelYourSchool.com consumers can monitor the classroom projects in need of funding and see how much money is being earned for public schools. Donations earned through Fuel Your School will be used to help fund eligible classroom projects from Oct. 2 through Nov. 30, 2014, or until generated funds have been exhausted by eligible projects. Anyone, including consumers and Chevron employees, may also independently browse and fund inspiring classroom projects on www.DonorsChoose.org by making separate, individual donations.